The under - 18 conception rates in Wigan remain one of the highest in the North West
In 1999 the Prime Minister presented a report to parliament that set key targets for a reduction in teenage pregnancy rates in England. This report revealed that Britain has the worst record on teenage pregnancies in Europe, twice those of Germany, three times those of France and six times those of the Netherlands. As a results Local Authorities were given instructions and funding to make reductions in conception rates amongst the under 18s.
Wigan Councils Teenage Pregnancy Strategy has two targets
- To reduce conception rates in under 18s by 50% by 2010
- To increase teen parents participation in training, education and employment by 60% by 2008
So how are we going to do this?
During May, health and education teams with the council want to get everyone talking about what must be one of the borough’s most important topics…our children’s wellbeing.
The Great Debate will be a series of events and workshops that will run throughout May. At the heart of this campaign lies the desire to get young people to form respectful relationships, with knowledge and understanding of the issues that affect them and where to get support.
The event will look at a different topic each week
- teenage pregnancy
- safer sex
- respectful relationships
- support and services
The plan is to get the views of the young people themselves. Through workshops and interviews it is hoped to reach 50,000 teenagers. The team want to double the number of voices to 100,000 by including parents, professionals and members of the community in the Great Debate.
Alan Sherwood is the council’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Co-ordinator, he says: “The concerns that young people have are also the responsibility of everyone in the Wigan community and as the borough’s biggest employer we are asking everyone in the council to get involved.
“We are asking people to raise these issues at their meetings and team briefings and record their thoughts. If we can get one adult voice for every child’s voice by doing this then we will have truly had a Great Debate.”
The findings from the Great Debate will be brought together in the form of a report. We are also in the process of planning an event to be held in September where the outcomes will be shared more widely.
